For TCU students and their families, the cost of getting a degree is about to get even higher.
At its Nov. 7 meeting, the TCU Board of Trustees approved another increase in tuition, making the school more expensive than some Ivy League universities.
Students and families received an email on Nov. 10 announcing the increase.
How much will TCU tuition increase?
The board voted at their meeting to increase tuition by 4.75% for the 2026-27 school year, increasing from $63,500, to $66,520.
Since 2015, TCU has raised tuition by more than $20,000. Tuition for the 2015-16 school year was roughly $42,000.
TCU has increased tuition nearly every year over the past decade, except for 2021-22, when tuition was temporarily frozen due to the pandemic. In 2023, following a $1 billion fundraising campaign, parents expressed alarm when tuition for the 2024-25 school year was raised by 7.9% to $61,643 — the biggest increase since 2011.
The average cost of tuition at a private university in 2025-26 is $44,961, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Students in the Neeley School of Business and Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine will also see the increase.
Why is tuition increasing?
“Most universities raise tuition annually based on inflation, plus rising operational and fixed costs related to student services and campus improvement,” a TCU spokesperson told the Star-Telegram in an e-mail. “This adjustment allows the university to maintain and advance TCU’s standard of excellence in academics and student experience, while addressing economic factors that impact operational costs.”
What about financial aid?
Need-based financial aid awarded to students who have pre-qualified will also increase by 4.75%, according to the spokesperson. The amount awarded in academic scholarships will not change, unless they are full-tuition awards.
Nearly 80% of TCU’s student body receives some form of financial aid, according to the school. The deadline to apply for federal student aid for next school year is June 30, 2026. TCU recommends that undergraduate students apply by April 15.
In August, TCU announced that beginning next fall, the school will offer free tuition and financial assistance for food and housing to Texas residents who are first-year undergraduates eligible for Pell Grants, from families that earn $70,000 or less.
More expensive than Harvard
TCU is not among the nation’s most expensive universities overall, but for the 2025-26 school year, tuition was roughly $4,000 more expensive than Harvard’s.
Harvard undergraduate tuition is listed at $59,320, with Princeton costing $65,210, and MIT costing $64,310.
Comparatively, this year’s tuition at SMU is $61,880, Baylor’s is $63,620 and Rice’s is $66,540.